Cleanliness is Close to Godliness
by windsabove
Summary: Don't leave trash sitting around for too long. Some deities might think it's a good idea to bring it to life.


Some would say that the duties of a god were absolutely thankless. They entailed tasks that included, but were not limited to, the following: watching creations tear each other apart, witnessing handiwork being torched to ashes, and other unfortunate mishaps that were bundled in with the fine print of the highest job contract to ever exist. Not to mention the crazy things that humans managed to come up with on their own. Their obsession with cloning living beings was getting a bit out of control.

Arceus, on the other hand, begged to differ. Sure, being a deity had its extremely rough patches, but it was something he wouldn't trade for...well, anything. Besides, there was a certain amount of fun to be had with all of that power, particularly when it came to placing new creatures out and about. Some of them were a bit off-kilter, but if he couldn't shove a little bit of creativity into his living, breathing masterpieces once in awhile, what was the point? Since humans continued playing around with creation (something they were still a bit rough with, to be honest), the god Pokemon continued to fiddle with their minds. Once in a whatever span of time he chose, he would come up with something that none of them expected and every single one of them would spend time speculating upon. It was the perfect way to keep humans and Pokemon alike on their toes.

This day was no exception.

At the time, it was no special day in particular. The Pokemon world was just as chaotic as usual, every region sparkling with life and endless activity. When Arceus had nothing else to dwell upon, it was a fascinating thing to observe. It was almost like watching a garden grow...except the plants could talk back and some flowers in particular decided to form grudges and start wars. That was a bit problematic at times, but nothing a god didn't deal with on a daily basis. All the same, it was a humdrum sort of day. Arceus attempted to figure out a word that described what he was feeling as he watched his handiwork in action.

Bored. That was the right term.

He quickly scanned the various regions of the world, looking for something, anything, that piqued his interest. Eventually, his gaze fell upon the Unova region. Ah, bustling Unova. A region so industrialized and sharp after years of "mythical" turmoil. If he remembered correctly, it was one of the dirtier regions in the world due to the rapid development it had undergone. On a day like this, the region's cleanliness levels were worth looking into. After all, they'd just gotten through a particular rough patch in terms of festivals.

If there was going to be a waste problem, a good start would probably be Castelia City, Unova's center of business. It was by far one of the harder cities to maintain on this planet, but even the grubbiest of urban hubs broke their streaks once in awhile. Still, on the outside, Castelia was as crisp and pristine as he remembered it being upon his last observation. However, a closer look into the nooks and crannies between the myriad of buildings would tell the god the whole story. And what a story it told. One of his eyes twitched at the sight.

Mounds upon mounds of trash spanned the length of numerous alleyways, the worst contained within Narrow Street. It was so bad, the thugs that normally resided in this path had absconded into the nearby cafe. Either way, this was highly unusual, even for Castelian standards. True, their partying had wreaked all sorts of havoc, but that was months ago. In short, it was blatantly unacceptable.

It was the sight of this trashy mayhem that gave Arceus a brilliant idea.

If the humans below wouldn't move the trash themselves, why couldn't the trash move _itself_?

It was an idea for the ages. Humans everywhere would stare with utter bewilderment. It would probably cause some problems in the eco-friendly camps of the world, but this world had a way of sorting that sort of thing out...eventually. For now, Arceus refused to write this day off as barely a dent in history's long and winding chain. Not when such a hysterical idea had been concocted.

Arceus descended into the alley and focused his energies on a cluster of trash bags, their tops torn and leaking what must have been days worth of garbage. It wasn't long before the plastic bulges began to twitch on their own, limbs appearing on their once still, lifeless bodies. However, it wasn't until one of the overflowing bags managed to stand up and turn around that Arceus managed to get a look at the creature's face.

The god Pokemon found it hard to stifle his laughter.

The tiny sack of garbage peered up at Arceus, the tufts that were supposed to be part of the bag's knot twitching slightly. Tiny black dots in its eyes moved up and down, assessing the situation it was in as it moved its trash arms. Were those glass teeth? The equine deity couldn't really tell from that angle. After all, the poor thing wasn't even close to a quarter of his height. This had to be his most ridiculous creation to date. And yet...it was oddly adorable.

After a moment of silence (and a valiant attempt at suppressing a chuckle or two), Arceus laid down in the path, decreasing the distance between him and the bundle of odd-smelling plastic. The dark green bag blinked a few times, not quite sure what to make of the god's seemingly benevolent gesture. Hardly five minutes into life and this Pokemon already had a sense of its surroundings. Arceus smiled a bit at the thought. A few seconds passed before the sentient garbage bag smiled in return, confirming his suspicions about its teeth. They were two rows of gleaming glass shards, piercingly sharp and ready to take on perhaps even the toughest of opponents. However, paired with those goofy-looking eyes and garbage hands, it was difficult to take it seriously.

Before Arceus could blink, the little garbage Pokemon had toddled closer, its eyes roaming all over his face. There was another long stretch of silence as it observed his calm demeanor. He simply watched as the gears (or leftover parts of gears) turned in its mind, piecing together one thing after another. A few minutes passed, and a glassy grin once again appeared on the putrid green surface of what was now a face. The Pokemon rushed over to the equine's side and plopped next to him, the bag's material rustling as it did so. A strange growly sound came out of its mouth, but it seemed happy enough. Arceus also noticed that the smell it had been giving off earlier was completely gone. Perhaps it had something to do with companionship. If it did, it would certainly save quite a few human and Pokemon noses.

Arceus spent a fair amount of time chatting with the friendly trash Pokemon he had created as others of its kind slowly came and went as they pleased. Soon, the whole street was littered with them, tiny growls piping up from every part of the narrow path. The god felt a bubbly sort of happiness taking over his senses. It was endearing, albeit hilarious, to see his small yet smelly creations trip over their own two feet, only to scramble back up and continue plodding along. He tuned into the conversation at hand. From what he gathered, his new friend was excited to explore his surroundings with the others.

However, the tinier Pokemon kept inquiring as to whether Arceus would come along. The god managed to switch topics rather efficiently, but the question always managed to come up again. He didn't quite know how to answer it. He couldn't very well say "I'm a bit large to be cramming into dumpsters with you, so no". That would hurt the sentient trash bag's feelings, and he didn't want his newest Pokemon wandering the planet feeling unwanted on his first day of living. No doubt someone else would be the one to make it feel that way eventually, but he wasn't about to be the one to start the trend.

The equine Pokemon was almost relieved when the sounds of human life suddenly began to echo through Narrow Street. However, the tiny waste bag looked up at Arceus with wide eyes, and its compatriots soon followed suit. They could sense what he was about to do. If he wasn't a god, this would have been much more nerve-wracking. Instead, guilt began to creep into his once serene expression as the voices drew closer. Without another moment's hesitation, he took one last look at them, stood up and phased out of the path, leaving the rubbish Pokemon behind.

Arceus had never felt so conflicted over a creation in his entire existence. Alright, maybe Giratina was a pain sometimes, but no other Pokemon had made him feel so...horrible? Was that the word he was looking for? He wasn't sure. Still, as he observed the tiny plastic lifeforms from afar, he couldn't help but feel sorry for them. They had grown attached to their creator, someone that couldn't exactly be seen in public places without causing widespread panic and wild rumors about the apocalypse. He could do nothing but observe now. Observe and let nature run its course on the newest living innovation.

At first, the thuggish humans below froze in horror at what they saw. This was a bit troubling at first, but walking trash bags weren't the kinds of things they expected to see upon exiting a cafe. Arceus gave them a few minutes to wander around the narrow path and get to know the plump trash-filled beings, just as he had. One human girl proclaimed them as cute. Another couldn't stand the smell. Overall, they all had wildly conflicting opinions about these creatures now wandering about their city. After some time spent arguing over the subject, one of them decided it was best to take one along...and it happened to be the one he had created first.

They clearly did not think about of the consequences of dragging around a living garbage bag. Arceus had to laugh at their mistake as people surrounded them in their panic, but there was a twinge of worry for his newest creation. He lied, it was more than a twinge. The poor thing ended up being taken to the nearest Pokemon lab, where a crowd of people demanded the already busy scientists to test the ever-living daylights out of it.

A burning sensation seared the god's senses. Forget letting nature run its course. He had a duty to preserve this planet, and if that meant keeping that trash bag alive, he would do anything it took. However, it seemed that the tiny plastic Pokemon was way ahead of him. Just as the scientists had finished up their latest test, the garbage bag saw its chance and ran out of the lab, taking its leave via the nearest window. How the Pokemon didn't explode on impact, Arceus couldn't figure out. He must have made it stronger than it looked. Despite this, it didn't get a chance to leave before the humans, after some consultation, decided upon a name for this Pokemon.

Trubbish.

Arceus snickered at their choice. It was a combination of "trash" and "rubbish", which, in the end, basically meant the same thing. Humans weren't very consistent with creative names. The humorous title didn't distract him from the creature's plight, though. The Trubbish managed to stay out of sight until it reached more familiar territory, immediately hunkering down against the nearest dumpster. It glanced up at the sky briefly, as if it were looking for someone. He frowned.

What had started as a humorous decision made out of boredom turned out to be much more than the god had bargained for. Like every creation before this one, he'd grown attached in some way. He should have known that was going to happen, but sentient garbage didn't exactly scream attachment at the time. And now, he was stuck watching this tiny frightened Trubbish make its way in the world. A quiet sigh puffed from his mouth. One day, Arceus would go back. It was a promise he made to himself and the tiny Pokemon as it fell asleep in the street from whence it came.

Whoever said that garbage couldn't be precious was a complete and utter liar.


End file.
